Stevie McMullen, 31, was remanded in custody by Manchester magistrates to appear at Manchester crown court on Wednesday.

McMullen was arrested on Sunday near Lancaster University following a nationwide appeal. Two men aged 27 and 25 who were also arrested with McMullen were being questioned by police in custody.

A £10,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the arrest of Ryan MacDonald, 20, who was allegedly freed along with McMullen by three masked men in Salford when they were en route to court in a prison van.

On Friday, a judge at Manchester crown court sentenced McDonald in his absence to a total of seven years and 10 months in jail. McDonald had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and aggravated taking of a vehicle.

After the arrests on Sunday, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood urged McDonald to turn himself in. "We continue to follow up on a number of leads but I would also like to offer McDonald the opportunity to hand himself in, which he can do either by calling police himself, or by contacting a trusted family member, friend or his solicitor."

He added: "I would ask members of the public not to approach this man due to the potential danger he poses, but if you see him then please call the police immediately."

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